Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Abstract:
The need to provide clean drinking water for the riverine areas of Nigeria where the water is usually salty is the motivation for this work. A Solar still is a simple solar device used for converting salt /brackish water into potable water and the developing countries can employ this technology for provision of clean drinking water especially in areas where this is in short supply. A performance evaluation was carried out on a double sloped basin type still that was fabricated. The main parts of the still are, the basin, frame, glass cover and support structure. The still was tested using two different materials, aluminum painted black and black leather as the absorber. The Solar Still was tested by feeding it with 40 litres of salt water and the daily temperatures and distillated yield were recorded. It was observed that the yield obtained depended on the daily temperatures attained and the black painted aluminum absorber material produced higher yield compared with the leather material. The salinity test conducted on the distillate shows a value which makes it fit for drinking purposes and thus established the effectiveness of the Solar Still

Keywords: solar still, distillate, solar energy, purification, desalination

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